Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy looks on from the sidelines late in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. File/Press-Gazette Media

Written by

Eric Goska

Press-Gazette Media

Faces of the franchise

Head coaches who have presided over more than 100 regular-season and postseason games in Packers history.

Games

Coach

Record

339

Curly Lambeau

212-106-21

133

Mike McCarthy

85-47-1

133

Bart Starr

53-77-3

132

Vince Lombardi

98-30-4

126

Mike Holmgren

84-42-0

102

Mike Sherman

59-43-0

More

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The number is 134.

Without context, it could have many meanings. In the here and now of the Packers’ universe, it represents a coach continuing to make inroads with a franchise steeped in tradition.

Against the Lions on Thanksgiving, Mike McCarthy will take the field for the 134th time as coach of the Packers. He’ll move past Bart Starr into second place for number of games coached, leaving him behind only the legendary Curly Lambeau.

McCarthy’s latest step will play out in front of a national television audience on a holiday that has become synonymous with football. It will occur during a rare down period in a nearly eight-year run that ranks among the best in team annals.

Wasn’t it just yesterday that the Pittsburgh native was named coach, succeeding Mike Sherman? On that day — Jan. 12, 2006 — Packers general manager Ted Thompson reportedly walked into then-president Bob Harlan’s office and said: “I’m looking for something five, 10 years down the road that will give us some stability, and this guy is the best fit.”

Stability, productivity, longevity — McCarthy has delivered. Though he still trails Lambeau (31 seasons), Vince Lombardi (9) and Starr (9) in years of service, he’s worked the sideline as headmaster more often than anyone in Green Bay in more than 60 years.

McCarthy has crafted a 79-43-1 record in 123 regular-season games. His teams have gone 6-4 in the playoffs.

His overall winning percentage (.643) is higher than every Packers coach except Lombardi (.766), Lambeau (.667) and Mike Holmgren (.667). Had he not lost his star quarterback to injury, McCarthy could have been ahead of all but Lombardi.

But that’s a what-if. Instead of dwelling on what might have been and the team’s lack of victory this month — its longest drought since a five-game skid in 2008 — let’s focus on what has been accomplished. Since McCarthy is an offensive specialist, we’ll examine that side of the ball.

In Packers history, McCarthy’s teams are without equal in generating yards and points.

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His squads have averaged 371.6 yards and 26.7 points per game.

The previous bests were set under Sherman (350.2) and Lombardi (25.3).

Green Bay has averaged more than 25 points a game in six seasons with McCarthy at the helm. Lombardi and Holmgren’s teams did so four times.

The Packers have averaged more than 350 yards of offense in seven seasons with McCarthy in charge. In the 73 seasons prior to 2006, the team did so just seven times.

One last tidbit: McCarthy’s Packers have averaged a team-record 5.79 yards per play. Sherman (5.47), Lombardi (5.29 with sacks in his early years factored in), Ray Rhodes (5.28) and Holmgren (5.19) round out the top five.

No doubt some of these gains can be attributed to an overall trend toward more offense. The question then is, how does Green Bay compare to its contemporaries where the field of play is level?

During McCarthy’s time, there have been the Patriots and everyone else. McCarthy has put the Packers on top of most everyone else.

Green Bay’s 79 regular-season wins are more than all but Indianapolis (81) and New England (96). The team’s record at home (45-16-1) is better than all but the Colts (45-16), Ravens (48-13) and Patriots (53-9).

The Packers’ record within the division (34-11-1) outpaces all but the Patriots (37-9). Its conference mark (61-30-1) trumps all but New England (70-21) and Indianapolis (61-30).

The team’s 3,281 points scored is third best behind the Patriots (3,687) and Saints (3,462). The difference between what it and its opponents score (747 points) is second best behind — all together now — the New England Patriots (1,366).

So McCarthy is no Bill Belichick, but then who is? He’s no Lombardi or Holmgren, either.

What McCarthy has done is put his own stamp on the Packers. He’s gone from relative unknown to the top of his profession.

On this Thanksgiving, McCarthy returns to Detroit.

His first victory as coach came here against the Lions in September 2006.

Brett Favre was quarterback then, and McCarthy had yet to make a name for himself. Today, Matt Flynn likely will start at that position, and McCarthy and the Packers need a win to maintain the high standards for which they have become known.